Roller lift for handling drywall panels



3, 1966 E. J. HUMBYRD 3,268,209

ROLLER LIFT FOR HANDLING DRY-WALL PANELS Filed June 15, 1964 INVENTOR. 60 5421. J HUMBVRD United States Patent 3,268,209 ROLLER LIFT FOR HANDLING DRY- WALI. PANELS Earl J. Humbyrd, Riverside, Calif, assigncr of one-half to James K. McAipin, Riverside, Calif. Filed June 15, 1964, Ser. No. 374,953 6 Claims. (Cl. 254-120) The present invention relates generally to tools, and more particularly to a tool for handling dry-wall panels while installing the same during construction of a building.

Dry-wall panels, also known as wallboard, or Sheetrock, are flat, rectangular panels, four feet wide by eight to sixteen feet or more in length, from three-eighths to five-eighths inch thick, and consisting of a core of gypsum covered on both sides with heavy paper. The individual panels Weigh from about fifty pounds to about one huntired and sixty pounds each, and their size and weight makes them awkward and laborious to handle. This is particularly true in nailing the panels to the studding, when the panels must be maneuvered into position, then lifted up so that their top edges abut against the bottom edge of a previously installed panel, or against the ceiling, as the case may be, and then held in place while the first few nails are driven.

Heretofore, the only tool available to aid the workman in installing panels of Sheetrock, has been a pedal-type lifting lever, having a fulcrum point near the front end thereof. The front end of the lever is inserted under the bottom edge of a vertical panel standing against the studding, and when the worker steps down on the back end of the pedal, the panel is lifted an inch or so to its nailing position.

There are a number of disadvantages to such a tool. For one thing, being a loose tool, it is easily separated from the worker and sometimes cannot be found when needed, particularly when the worker is moving around from one room to another. Another disadvantage is that it is diflicult and sometimes impossible to shift the panel slightly when positioning the same on the studding, owing to the fact that the pedal lifter will not slide on the floor. Still another disadvantage of these prior tools is that the wall board panels must be lifted by hand to almost the exact nailing position before using the lifter, as there is no provision for moving the panel toward the walls when the panel is being raised on the lifter.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a tool which is a timeand labor-saving device for handling dry-wall panels while installing the same on studdin'g.

More specifically, a primary object of the invention is to provide a tool that can be attached to the foot of the worker, so that it cannot become inadvertently separated from him, and one which enables the worker to lift the heaviest panel easily by its bottom edge, maneuver the panel into position with respect to the wall, and then raise and hold the panel in nailing position while driving the first few nails.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a lifting tool of the class described, where-in a roller fulcrum is provided that permits moving the wallboard panel while it is supported on the lifter. In this way, the wallboard can be shifted toward or away from the wall studding, or moved laterally with respect thereto, all with considerable ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lifting tool of the class described which can be kicked up out of the way when not in use, so that it does not interfere with walking normally.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lifting device of the class described that is adjustable for height of lift.

Patented August 23, 1966 A further object of the invention is to provide a footmounted lifting tool .for wallboard, which is adjustable to fit any size shoe.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a lifting device having great mechanical advantage, thereby enabling the worker to raise heavy boards effortlessly and without assistance.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a lifting tool embodying the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken at 3-3 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken at 44 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken at 55 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at 6-6 in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view, showing how the invention is used to lift a panel of wallboard.

In the drawings, the roller lift tool is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10, and comprises a front section 12 and a rear section 14, which are connected together for relative vertical swinging movement by axially aligned hin'ge joints 16. The front section 12 is generally U-shaped, as seen in the plan view of FIG- URE 2, and the arms of the U are approximately rectangular in cross-section. Preferably, the front and rear sections 12 and 14 are made of cast aluminum for the sake of lightness, and section 12 has a wedge-shaped formation 18 projecting forwardly and upwardly from the front end thereof. The front face 20 of the formation 18 is inclined back at an angle of approximately 30 degrees from the vertical when the U-shaped front section 12 is horizontal, as shown in FIGURES l and 4, and the bottom side 21 thereof is inclined up at about 45 degrees t the horizontal plane.

Mounted on the inclined front face 20 of the wedgeshaped formation 18 is an L-shaped bracket 21 having a vertical flange 22 with a horizontal lip 23 projecting forwardly from the bottom edge thereof. The flange 22 has a. vertical slot 24 formed therein, and passing through this slot is a screw 25, which also passes rearwardly through a hole 26 in the formation 18. A nut 27 is screwed onto the rear end of the screw 25 against a washer 2S, and the latter is seated on the flat bottom of a cavity 29 formed in the back side of the formation 18.

The bracket 21 is located on the formation 18 and is held against turning or sliding movement with respect thereto by two laterally spaced locating pins 30 (see FIG. 2) projecting perpendicularly from the inclined face 20 on opposite sides of the screw 25. The locating pins 30 are adapted to seat within either of two vertically spaced pairs of holes 31, 32 formed in the vertical flange 22 on opposite sides of the slot 24, and when thus engaged, the pins 30 locate the bracket 21 at either of two vertically spaced positions, for adjustment in the height of lift.

Formed in the front end of the front section 12 imme diately behind the wedge-shaped formation 1 8 is a slot 36, and disposed within this slot is a roller 38. The roller 68 turns on a transverse pin 40, the ends of which are pressed into holes 41 in the front section 12 on opposite sides of the slot 36. As best shown in FIGURE 4, the roller 38 projects for about one-third of its diameter below the bottom side of the front section 12.

The rear section 14 of the roller lift comprises two bars 42 and 44, which extend rearwardly from the ends of the arms of the U-shaped front section 12, and are joined thereto by the hinge joints 16. The two bars 42 and 44 extend along opposite sides of the workers shoe when the lift is in use. The front ends of the frame bars 42 and 44 are formed with tongues 46 which are received between two laterally spaced cars 48 on the rear ends of the front section arms. Hinge pins 47 pass through aligned holes in the overlapping tongue 46 and ears 48, and this permits the front section 12 to swing upwardly with respect to the rear section 14. As best shown in FIGURE 6, the two ears -48 of each of the front section arms are rounded on top at 50 to permit the front section 12 to swing upwardly without interference. The lower corner 51 is square and abuts against the adjoining [flat shoulder 52 of the rear section 14, thereby limiting the downward swinging movement of the front section 12 so that it cannot swing below the level of the rear section.

Mounted on the outer side of each of the hinge joints 16 is a latch plate 53, which is secured to the front section 12 by a pin 54. Each of the latch plates 53 has two angularly spaced, inwardly projecting dimples 55, 55, which are spaced apart approximately 90 degrees from one another, and which cooperate with a V-shaped recess 56 in a latch bar 58 that is secured by the pins 60 to the rear section frame bars 42 and 44. When the front section 12 is down in the working position, as in FIGURE 1, the lower dimple 55 of the latch plate 53 seats in the recess 56 of the latch bar 58, and exerts a yieldable locking effect on the front section, tending to hold the latter down in the extended position. When the front section 12 is kicked up to the inoperative position, as shown in dot-dash lines in FIGURE 1, the upper dimple 55 of latch plate 53 seats in the recess 56, thereby locking the front section up out of the way, so that the worker can walk around without interference from the front section 12 of the roller lift.

The inner frame bar 44 of the rear section 14 extends straight back from the hinge joint 16, Whereas the outer frame bar 42 has a jog at 57, which brings the bar in close alongside the heel, and then continues rearwardly, parallel to bar 44. Slidably mounted on the parallel rear sides of the frame bars 42, 44, is a U-shaped heel clamp 62, each end of which has a rectangular sleeve 64 formed integrally therewith. The frame bars 42, 44 pass through the apertures in the rectangular sleeves 64 in a snug-fitting, sliding engagement. Thumb screws 68 are screwed into threaded holes in the tops of the sleeve portions 64, and the inner ends of these thumb screws bear against the top edges of the frame bars 42, 44 to lock the U-shaped heel clamp 62 in adjusted position.

Also slidably mounted on the parallel portions of the frame bars 42, 44, ahead of the heel clamp 62 is a stirrup "70, having rectangular sleeve portions 72 at each end thereof, through which the frame bars pass. Thumb screws 76 are threaded into tapped holes in the top side of the sleeve portions 72, and these clamp against the top edges of the frame bars to hold the stirrup 70 in adjusted position. zontal strap portion of stirrup 70, which passes under the workers shoe immediately ahead of the heel, is angled somewhat, so that the outer end (i.e., on the outside of the foot) is a short distance to the rear of the inner end. The purpose of this angular offset in the stirrup 70 is to cause the outer end of the stirrup to engage the shoe heel ahead of the inner end thereof, thereby allowing the worker to turn the front end of the entire unit slightly inwardly on the shoe, for the purpose of centering the shoe in the front frame 12, if necessary. This turning effect is accomplished by pulling rearwardly on the outer sleeve 72 of the stirrup with the set screw loosened, while at the same time pushing forwardly on the outer sleeve end against the front edge of the heel, any adjustment It will be noted that in FIGURE 2 the hori 4 tending to pull the outer stirrup sleeve 72 closer to the outer heel clamp sleeve 64 has the effect of lengthening that portion of the outer frame ahead of the sleeve '72, and this causes the frame to turn slightly inwardly on the foot.

Secured to the outer sides of the stirrup by pins 78 are sheet metal clips 30, which form anchor connections for the ends of a leather strap 82 that passes over the top of the shoe, as shown in FIGURE 1. A buckle, (not shown) enables the strap to be drawn tight and secured in the usual manner.

In use, the roller lift is secured to the workers foot with the U-shaped heel clamp 62 pulled up snugly against the heel of the shoe, and the stirrup 70 shifted rearwardly until it engages the front side of the shoe heel. The strap -82 is then secured over the top of the shoe. To lift a panel of wallboard, the worker lifts his foot a short distance above the ground and points the toe downwardly, so as to insert the forwardly projecting lip 23 of the bracket 21 under the bottom edge of the panel. The worker then bears down on the stirrup 70, and his weight, acting on the fulcrum roller 38, raises the bracket 21 an inch or so above the floor. With the weight of the wallboard now supported on the roller 38, it is a simple matter to slide the bottom edge of the panel up against the wall studding or to make any other adjustment in position by shifting the foot back and forth at different angles. If it is desired to get a slightly higher lift of the panel when the heel is all the way down to the floor, the bracket 21 can be adjusted to a higher position on the inclined front face 20 of the wedge-shaped formation 18 by loosening the nut 27 sufficiently to allow the vertical. flange 22 to be raised up over the ends of the locating pins 30, and shifted upwardly so that the pins then seat in the lower pair of holes 32. The nut is then retightened, and the roller lift is again ready to be used. When the worker is through using the lift for a while, the front section is kicked up to the inoperative position shown in dot-dash lines in FIGURE 1, and is held up out of the way by the latch members 53, 58, where it does not interfere with walking.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believe to be the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the shape and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the broad scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A roller lift for handling dry wall panels, comprising:

a frame adapted to be mounted on one foot of a worker, said frame having a front end portion projecting forwardly beyond the toe of the workers shoe;

means for securing said frame to said one foot of the worker, whereby said frame becomes an attachment to the Workers shoe;

means on the rearward portion of said frame for transferring the weight of the worker to the frame when the worker stands on said one foot;

a roller journaled on the forwardly projecting front end of said frame aheadof the toe of the workers shoe, said roller projecting below the bottom of said frame and being adapted to roll on the floor; and

means projecting forwardly from said front end portion of said frame and engageable with the bottom edge of a dry wall panel to lift the same when the worker bears downwardly on the rearward portion of said frame, said frame pivoting about said roller as a fulcrum.

2. A roller lift as described in claim 1, wherein said frame consists of front and rear sections which are hinged together for vertical swinging movement, whereby said front section can be swung up out of the way when not in use; and

means limiting the downward swinging movement of said front section with respect to said rear section, whereby the front section is prevented from swinging below the level of the rear section.

3. A roller lift as described in claim 1, wherein said frame includes a pair of parallel bars extending rearwardly along opposite sides of the workers shoe;

:1 heel clamp extending around and engaging the heel of the shoe, said heel clamp being slidably mounted on said parallel bars; and

means for locking said heel clamp to said bars in adjusted position.

4. A roller lift as described in claim 1, wherein said frame includes a stirrup extending under the workers shoe immediately ahead of the heel; and

means for adjusting the position of said stirrup along the length of said frame.

5. A roller lift as described in claim 1, wherein said forwardly projecting panel-engaging means at the front end of said frame comprises an L-shaped bracket having a vertical flange and a forwardly projecting horizontal lip;

said vertical flange being slidable vertically on the front end of said frame; and

means for securing said vertical flange to said frame in either of two vertically spaced locations.

6. A roller lift for handling dry wall panels, comprising:

a frame adapted to be mounted on one foot of a worker,

said frame having a U-shaped front end section extending around the toe of the workers shoe, and a rear section hinged to said front section for vertical swinging movement;

said rear section including a pair of parallel bars extending rearwardly along opposite sides of the workers shoe;

a U-shaped heel clamp slidably mounted on said parallel bars, said heel clamp extending around in back of the heel and bearing against the same;

means for securing said heel clamp in adjusted position along the lengths of said parallel bars;

a stirrup slid-ably engaged on said parallel bars and extending under the shoe immediately ahead of the heel;

means for securing said stirrup in adjusted position along the length of said parallel bars;

a roller journaled on said U-shaped front section ahead of the toe of the shoe, said roller projecting below the bottom of said frame and being adapted to roll on the floor;

means limiting the downward swinging movement of said front section with respect to said rear section, whereby said front section is prevented from swinging below said rear section;

an L-shaped bracket mounted on the front end of said front section, said bracket including a vertical flange and a horizontal lip projecting forwardly from the bottom edge thereof, said horizontal lip being adapted to engage the bottom edge of a dry wall panel to lift the same; and

means for adjustably securing said L-shaped bracket to said front end section in either of two vertically spaced positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,692,753 10/1954 Masterson et a1. 254-131 2,989,286 6/1961 Gillespie 25412O WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Examiner. 

1. A ROLLER LIFT FOR HANDLING DRY WALL PANELS, COMPRISING: A FRAME ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON ONE FOOT OF A WORKER, SAID FRAME HAVING A FRONT END PORTION PROJECTING FORWARDLY BEYOND THE TOE OF THE WORKER''S SHOE; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FRAME TO SAID ONE FOOT OF THE WORKER, WHEREBY SAID FRAME BECOMES AN ATTACHMENT TO THE WORKER''S SHOE; MEANS ON THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID FRAME FOR TRANSFERRING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORKER TO THE FRAME WHEN THE WORKER STANDS ON SAID ONE FOOT; A ROLLER JOURNALED ON THE FORWARDLY PROJECTING FRONT END OF SAID FRAME AHEAD OF THE TOE OF THE WORKER''S SHOE, SAID ROLLER PROJECTING BELOW THE BOTTOM OF SAID FRAME AND BEING ADAPTED TO ROLL ON THE FLOOR; AND MEANS PROJECTING FORWARDLY FROM SAID FRONT END PORTION OF SAID FRAME AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE BOTTOM EDGE OF A DRY WALL PANEL TO LIFT THE SAME WHEN THE WORKER BEARS DOWNWARDLY ON THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID FRAME, SAID FRAME PIVOTING ABOUT SAID ROLLER AS A FULCRUM. 